If you're building a wall between two fixed points, you need to fix a profile first. This is a length of stainless steel with brackets which will tie your bricks in at either end of the row. Your wall will fall over if you don't fix a profile.

Modern metric bricks won't fit every space perfectly. Lay them dry and see if you need to cut a brick. If you do, arrange this so it sits in the middle of your course. If you're unlucky, you might have to cut a three-quarter brick. Lay this in the middle of the course but be aware that you'll have to lay two three-quarter bricks side-by-side on the next course so they join in the centre of the lower one.

Before you make your pug (mortar mix) get everything you need to hand. Your bricks should be in neat stacks and you should have a 60 sq cm board to work your pug on: never lay pug straight from the bucket.

When making the pug, you need to keep a consistent mix otherwise the mortar will dry unevenly. Five buckets of building sand to one bucket of cement will do most jobs. Add water until the pug is a workable consistency: not too stiff, not too sloppy. You want the pug to roll off the trowel. Adding plasticiser to the water will aerate the mix and will allow you to work with it for longer.

Invest in a proper brick line. This allows you to pull the line taut without it sagging in the middle. If you use normal string, you risk building a U-shaped course.

Gauge every course with a tape measure. The standard measurement for metric bricks is 75mm per course. The joint between each brick should be the same width as the bed of pug.

The wall is ready to be pointed before the pug has set but not while still soft. The easiest way to point a wall is to cut 20cm of hose pipe and run this along all the pug joints. Follow the vertical lines first, then the horizontal lines in one continuous movement. After 10-30 mins take a soft hand brush and gently sweep the whole wall. This will leave a nice natural texture on the pug and blend in nicely with the bricks.